Crock Pot Honey Lemon Rooster

Dinner doesn’t get tastier than this juicy crock pot honey lemon rooster! An entire rooster will get slathered with zesty lemon pepper and butter, then slow-cooked in a candy, citrusy honey lemon sauce till it’s fall-off-the-bone tender.

From my juicy entire roasted rooster to golden, crispy spatchcock grilled rooster, we don’t fiddle in relation to rooster dinners. And the sluggish cooker makes it that a lot simpler!

A cooked whole chicken inside the crock pot.

The day I made this crock pot honey lemon rooster, all I needed was juicy, tender rooster with cauliflower rice on the facet. My needs? My command. In the long run, it was a toss-up between making my honey garlic rooster once more (a without end fave) or attempting one thing new with much more honey and lemon goodness. And since I hardly ever make the identical factor twice, this honey lemon rooster gained out. Boy, was I glad it did!

What Makes This Honey Lemon Rooster So Nice

It’s slow-cooked, fall-off-the-bone perfection. This honey lemon rooster is extremely cozy and comforting and tastes such as you’ve been cooking all day, even if you happen to technically haven’t.
Minimal effort, most taste. I share my simple methods for the juiciest rooster EVER. Easy tips like rubbing butter and seasonings underneath the pores and skin, stuffing the rooster cavity with a complete lemon, and searing the rooster in a skillet earlier than sluggish cooking make all of the distinction.
No babysitting. As soon as this rooster is prepped, you let the sluggish cooker, lemon, butter, garlic, and honey work their magic. There’s zero oven time required.
Stretch the meal additional. We’re large followers of entire rooster recipes round right here. This crock pot rooster is budget-friendly, flavorful, and excellent for feeding a crowd or having leftovers.

Crock pot honey lemon chicken ingredients with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

Elements You’ll Want

So, about our chook, right here. This honey lemon rooster recipe retains issues easy with pantry staples and some contemporary components. Under, you’ll discover notes and simple swaps for every one. Scroll all the way down to the recipe card for the total printable recipe particulars, together with a step-by-step afterward with pictures.

Complete Rooster – We’re utilizing a complete chook right here, skin-on and bone-in, for further taste and juiciness. Search for rooster with pink-colored meat, and ensure to take away the giblets. You may swap in bone-in rooster thighs or drumsticks if you happen to’re not Staff Complete Rooster.
Butter – Softened butter will get mashed with lemon pepper and garlic to create essentially the most flavorful rub underneath the pores and skin.
Lemon Pepper – It offers this dish its signature zesty taste. In case you’re out, combine lemon zest with cracked black pepper and a pinch of salt.
Garlic – Garlic powder works in a pinch, and you should utilize about 1/2 teaspoon per clove.
Olive Oil – Helps crisp up the pores and skin and lock in moisture. You can too use avocado oil or melted butter.
Complete Lemon – Stuffed contained in the rooster for citrusy steam and additional taste. No have to peel the lemon first; simply pierce it and toss it in.
Lemon Juice – Vibrant and tangy, it balances the sweetness of the honey. Recent is finest, however bottled works, too.
Honey – If wanted, maple syrup and agave are good substitutes.
Orange Juice – Provides one other layer of citrus taste and helps spherical out the sauce. Pineapple juice is a enjoyable swap if you happen to’re feeling tropical.
Salt and Pepper – I take advantage of seasoned salt for further taste on the pores and skin. In case you don’t have it, combine common salt with a little bit of paprika and onion powder. Additionally, freshly floor black pepper makes an enormous distinction, IMHO.

Overhead view of whole crock pot honey lemon chicken served on a platter surrounded by roasted vegetables.

Recipe Ideas

In case you use a frozen entire rooster, make certain to fully thaw the rooster in a single day within the fridge earlier than beginning the recipe.
Brown the rooster. I embrace the choice to brown the entire rooster in a skillet earlier than including it to the crock pot. It’s an additional step that provides taste and provides the rooster pores and skin a pleasant golden sear. It’s high quality to skip this step if you happen to’re quick on time, although.
Don’t carve the chook instantly. After cooking, let the rooster relaxation for 10-Quarter-hour. This enables all of the juices to redistribute again into the meat for a young, moist, and attractive rooster with crispy pores and skin.
Have a meat thermometer useful. The best approach to test a rooster for doneness is with an instant-read meat thermometer. Insert the thermometer on the meatiest a part of the thigh (underneath the wing), in addition to the thickest a part of the breast. Take care to keep away from any bones. The rooster is able to go away the sluggish cooker when the inner temperature reads 160ºF, and also you’ll need to guarantee it reaches 165ºF after resting.

Carving a leg from a crock pot honey lemon chicken served on a platter with roasted vegetables.

A sliced honey lemon chicken served on a plate with potatoes and carrots.

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Clear the rooster. Rinse the rooster and dry it totally utilizing paper towels. Take away the giblets and clear out the rooster cavity.
Separate the pores and skin. Utilizing the deal with of a wood spoon, fastidiously insert the deal with beneath the pores and skin, starting on the neck. Slowly separate the pores and skin from the meat with out tearing by way of the pores and skin. Put aside.
Make the lemon pepper butter. In a small bowl, mix the butter, lemon pepper, and garlic; mash and blend with a fork till fully integrated.
Rub the rooster with the ready butter. Rub the ready lemon pepper butter underneath the pores and skin, across the whole chook, and out to the thighs and legs. I discover it simpler to spoon a big chunk of the butter underneath the pores and skin; then, I take advantage of my fingers to unfold it round by rubbing the rooster on prime.
Season the rooster. Then, rub the highest of the pores and skin with olive oil and season it with seasoned salt and black pepper. Optionally available: At this level, you too can brown the rooster in a skillet for about 5 minutes per facet, or simply till golden.
Add the entire lemon. Pierce the entire lemon throughout with a fork, then place it contained in the cleaned-out cavity. Switch the rooster to the sluggish cooker.
Make the honey citrus juice and prepare dinner. Mix lemon juice, honey, and orange juice in a small bowl; whisk it till integrated. Pour the ready honey sauce into the sluggish cooker, cowl it with a lid, and prepare dinner on Low for six to 7 hours or on Excessive for 4 to five hours, or till the inner temperature of the cooked chook registers at 160˚F.
End and serve. Rigorously take away the entire rooster from the sluggish cooker. Then, take away the lemon from the cavity and squeeze the juice out everywhere in the rooster. Let the rooster relaxation for 10 minutes earlier than chopping and serving.

On the spot Pot Methodology
To stress prepare dinner a complete rooster, add a trivet to the On the spot Pot and place the rooster on prime; set to Excessive Stress for 25 minutes. Enable for pure stress launch, after which test to make sure the rooster is absolutely cooked to an inner temperature of 160 to 165˚F.

Dietary data is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values could differ in accordance with the components and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed data.

Methods to Make Crock Pot Honey Lemon Rooster

That is a kind of set-it-and-forget-it recipes (actually, my finest variety). We’re taking a complete rooster, rubbing it with lemony butter, after which cooking it low and sluggish to fall-off-the-bone perfection within the crock pot. Right here’s learn how to make it occur, step-by-step!

Prep the rooster. Begin by eradicating the giblets and giving the rooster an excellent rinse. Afterward, pat it fully dry with paper towels. This helps the pores and skin crisp up a bit, even within the sluggish cooker.
Loosen the pores and skin. Subsequent, seize the deal with of a wood spoon and gently work it underneath the pores and skin, beginning on the neck. You need to create area between the pores and skin and meat with out tearing it.

Lemon pepper butter in a white bowl with a fork. — Mix lemon pepper and butter.

Make the lemon pepper butter. In a small bowl, mash collectively the softened butter, lemon pepper, and chopped garlic. It ought to seem like a spreadable paste.
Rub it in. Spoon the butter combination underneath the rooster pores and skin, after which use your fingers (on prime of the pores and skin) to unfold it throughout. I prefer to put on gloves once I do that. In any other case, make certain to scrub your arms nicely earlier than and after.
Season the skin. Now, rub olive oil excessive of the pores and skin, then sprinkle with seasoned salt and black pepper.

A whole seasoned chicken searing in a skillet with butter. — Sear the rooster (optionally available).

Optionally available however tasty: Brown the rooster. You probably have the time, sear the entire rooster in a scorching skillet for about 5 minutes per facet till golden. It’s completely optionally available, but it surely does add good taste and a bit coloration.
Add the lemon. Afterward, pierce a complete lemon a number of instances with a fork and place it contained in the rooster cavity.
Combine up the sauce. In the meantime, whisk collectively the lemon juice, honey, and orange juice. Pour it into the underside of your sluggish cooker.

Honey lemon marinade being poured over a whole chicken inside the crock pot. — Mix the rooster and sauce within the crock pot.

Prepare dinner low and sluggish. Switch the rooster to the sluggish cooker. Cowl, and prepare dinner on LOW for six to 7 hours or HIGH for 4 to five hours. The rooster is prepared when the inner temperature reaches 160°F away from the bone, and the juices run clear.
End and serve. Rigorously take away the rooster from the sluggish cooker. Take out the lemon from the cavity and provides it an excellent squeeze over the rooster earlier than letting the chook relaxation for 10 minutes.

Lastly? Don’t toss that liquid gold left over within the sluggish cooker! Drizzle these flavorful honey-citrus juices over your rooster and your facet dish of mushroom rice or Vesuvio potatoes. See the Serving Strategies above for extra concepts.

On the spot Pot Methodology

To make this honey lemon rooster within the On the spot Pot, place a trivet contained in the pot and set the seasoned entire rooster on prime. Lock the lid and prepare dinner on Excessive Stress for 25 minutes. As soon as it’s finished, let the stress launch naturally. Then, test that the inner temperature has reached 160°F to 165°F earlier than serving.

A fork picking up a slice of honey lemon chicken breast from a plate with a side of roasted potatoes.

Storing and Reheating Leftover Rooster

Refrigerate. Let the cooked rooster cool fully, after which retailer it in an hermetic container within the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Leftover rooster is nice to shred into rooster salad or roll up in rooster wraps.
Reheat. To reheat, pop the leftovers into the microwave or heat the rooster gently in a lined skillet with a splash of the cooking juices. It stays juicy and flavorful, good for tossing into rooster salad, wraps, or a fast rice bowl the following day.
Freeze. First, take away the meat from the bones and let it cool fully. Subsequent, retailer the rooster in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag, label it, and freeze for as much as 3 months. If you’re prepared to make use of it, thaw it in a single day within the fridge and reheat as wanted.